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manikahemmerixh's Reviews (218)
Super simple and sweet. Sweet Home Alabama is one of my favorite movies, so this is right up my alley. I’m normally super frustrated by miscommunication, but I think that because it was coming from the perspective of a story I already know and love, it didn’t aggravate me in this case. Also, while being a re-telling, I think that Meena and Nikhil are strong characters and their story does have its own unique spins to it.
I’ve been intimidated by this book for a long time and finally decided to just sit down and read it. It’s definitely graphic and disturbing, but I didn’t have as visceral of a reaction to it as I feared I might just knowing what the concept was. It’s a pretty small window into what would be an incredibly complicated, scary world so if you’re looking for an in-depth understanding and picture of this dystopian universe, it’s not really there. For example, as a vegetarian I know that there would be a large community of people who would NEVER just normalize eating humans and there’s only small nods towards that. However I think it’s a successful character study of what one living experience may look like in a world where cannibalism is not only legalized, but sanitized. The ending, specifically, is something I can’t forget.
I realize I should have seen it coming, but there’s something so striking about Marcos’ internal struggle (although he’s clearly desensitized) and then when it comes down to it he doesn’t hesitate to use and discard Jasmine. He may sympathize, but sees her as human no more than the others he’s so disgusted by.
I loved the mythology and folklore element, as well as the setting. This would be the perfect book to read in a cabin in winter while a snowstorm rages outside. Occasionally I had trouble wanting to pick the book back up, but while I was reading I didn't find it hard to engage with the story. I like that there's going to be a sequel, as I'm fond of the characters, but I also feel like this books ends at a good place. I won't spend the next year feeling desperate to know what happens next.
Totally weird, but in a way very reminiscent of old fairytales. If Into the Woods and It got married, this is their love child. I loved the prose, and while there were lots of gory/gross descriptions I felt it was done in a way that was not too hard to digest. The story overall was not the most satisfying for our main character Eunice, who doesn’t get nearly enough justice - but I think that’s in true horror and fairy tale fashion and I wasn’t disappointed with the end.
I was so pleasantly surprised by how much I enjoyed this book. It’s romantic but didn’t feel too cringey. I loved Anna’s POV, though I would have also liked to see her stick up for herself a bit more (Dan and Sylvie deserve a thing or two). The relationship does feel a bit fast, but I think that the novel is the perfect length, and I wouldn’t sacrifice any of the story in order to stretch the romance out more, so I think it’s okay in this case. It’s full of lively and charming characters and I felt heart-warmed by the time I was finished.
I love literary fiction, especially when it centers around women. Unfortunately, this one wasn't for me though. I had a pretty hard time finishing it. The content is very dark, especially in regards to everything that Joan has seen and endured in her life, but I was never able to make any kind of emotional connection to Joan, and that I think is part of why this book fell flat for me. I wasn't really invested in any of it - despite the narrative trying to keep the reader engaged by keeping certain things very vague in the beginning, and gradually giving the reader more detail. I'm not sure if this is also supposed to apply to the story being told to Joan's daughter, as that felt very apparent to me almost immediately. Which also left the ending so-so .
Mostly I was a little bored the whole time though, and pushing through to see if something would spark a connection between Animal and I. Sadly, it never clicked.
Mostly I was a little bored the whole time though, and pushing through to see if something would spark a connection between Animal and I. Sadly, it never clicked.
I thought the premise was intriguing, similar to other things that have already been done, but unique enough to still be enjoyable. The atmosphere of the story was created well. I can't believe I didn't see the end coming (although I didn't think too hard about it). The spice wasn't my favorite, and I probably could have done with less of it actually. Overall the pacing was maybe a little off, but it was a quick, fun read.
I appreciated that the writing here didn't feel too young adult. It doesn't shy away from some complexity or dark subject matter, but still does so in a way that's teenager appropriate. I think that the pacing is a bit off though, and that the story could have been delivered in a more stream lined way. The book starts off really slow, and almost too mysterious, and then suddenly all the answers are right there, but the distribution of information doesn't feel cohesive. I liked the main story line, there was just a little bit too much being added in that was gratuitous.
There are parts of this series I'm really enjoying, and other parts I could do without. I'm definitely mainly invested in these novels for Irene and Huck, as well as the over-arching story and its mysteries. I find the love triangle with the sons a bit annoying, and am not a huge fan of Baker's character in general. This one did seem like it was leading towards cleaning that up quite neatly though, which in this case, I'm grateful for.